Entries in Hip-Hop
(8)

Since bursting into the spolight thanks to his feature on Ed Sheeran's 'Little Lady' back in 2011, Mikill Pane has needed no extra help to create his own unique fan base and a unrivalled take on UK Hip-Hop. The London-based rapper has released a string of EPs over the past two years, all of which touch on his diverse musical influences, but his debut full length LP truly epitomises everything that this guy is about. 'Blame Miss Barclay' isn't just another album - it is a ground-breaking piece of music from an arist who's lyrics and ability to tell a story are quite simply flawless.

Having toured with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Rizzle Kicks & Mac Miller, along with plays from some of Radio 1's most loved DJ's, and a first headline tour of his own, it's safe to say that Mikill Pane has had a pretty decent 2012. However, the London-born rapper isn't done just yet, today releasing his major label debut EP 'Dirty Rider', which is a follow up to the free 'You Guest It?' EP from April this year.

Although Mikill Pane has been around for quite some time, it was only January 2011 that saw the 26-year old rapper get his break, with his hard-hitting storytelling ability on 'Little Lady' with Ed Sheeran capturing the hearts of countless music fans across the country. Since then he has gone onto release two extremely unique EPs on iTunes ('The Morris Dancer' & 'The Guiness & Blackcurrant'), performed a brilliant Live Lounge for Huw Stephens/Radio 1, continued work on his forthcoming debut album ('Blame Miss Barclay') and is now ready to release this, the 'You Guest It EP'.

Although he has sold over 900,000 copies of his debut album '+' and is currently nominated for 4 BRIT Awards, Ed Sheeran still has some critics who believe he is a very 'safe' artist, but it's safe to say (excuse the pun) that there is absolutely nothing safe about his new project with Shady Records signee Yelawolf. The 20-year old singer/songwriter has been a huge fan of the Alabama-born rapper for quite some time now, but it was only towards the end of last year that they got the chance to hook up for a studio session, and even then they were only given a mere 48 hours. However, both men worked tirelessly alongside their producers across the space of two days and have cooked up something rather special, proving why they are seen by many as two of the most exciting artists on the planet.

Many of you, like myself, will have discovered Mikill Pane's music thanks to his superb reworking of Ed Sheeran's debut single, The A-Team, but over the past 10 months Mr. Pane has gone on to establish himself as a solo artist, releasing a couple of EPs/singles and building a loyal fan base of his own. There have been many comparisons flying around, including Mike Skinner and the great Slick Rick, which is a huge testament to his storytelling skills, but Mikill brings something totally unique to the table and his style/way with words is uncomparable to anyone else in the game right now. His past two EPs have been great, but The Guinness & Blackcurrant EP showcases his talent and diversity better than both and is without doubt his most impressive body of work to date.

Although many people believe that UK Hip-Hop is a dying genre, with Grime taking over the scene, I have to disagree. Granted there aren't many UK Hip-Hop artists in the mainstream, but there never has been, and with artists such as Wretch, Tinie, Mystro, Ty, Jehst, Loudmouth Melvin & (even) Chipmunk all doing their thing, the genre is as strong as ever. Wretch in particular has brought a refreshing sound to the UK music scene, with an incredibly unique laid back flow, easily relatable lyrics, fresh beat selections and a real ear for catchy hooks/choruses. After the success of the first two singles there was a chance that his sophmore album could become Americanised in the way that Chip's music has over the past few years, but the Tottenham born MC has stayed true to his roots and provided an album that epitomises everything that is positive with music in this country right now. The sampler was sent to me two months ago and it was clear then that it was going to be one of those albums that you have to listen to from start to finish - I was right. Black And White is a life story, so a six track sampler with three singles on it was never going to do it justice...

When this album dropped into my inbox two days ago, it's safe to say that I was shocked, yet pleasantly surprised. I knew that Jehst was back in the studio after seeing the brilliant viral 'Jehst Is My Postman' (which is the first single, Starting Over) video that hit the net in April, but had no idea that his third studio album was finished and ready to hit the shelves. Along with Mystro and Ty, Mr. Shields has been one of my favourite UK Hip-Hop artists over the past 10 years, with two of the greatest releases that the genre has ever seen. Granted that his recent work can't be compared to The Return Of The Drifter days, but The Dragon Of An Ordinary Family sees him back to his best, slaying all competition in sight.